On November 11, 1918, the guns of the “war to end wars” fell silent after more than 29,000,000 soldiers had been killed or wounded. Bells rang out across the world to celebrate the silence, and in 1938, Congress declared Armistice Day, November 11, a national holiday, “to be dedicated to the cause of world peace.”

Veterans for Peace Chapter 101 is encouraging churches to ring their bells 11 times at 11:00 on November 11 as was done at the end of World War I when the world came together in realization that war is so horrible we must end it now. Niles Discovery Church will join in the ringing, with Eric Keesis doing the honors.

In 1954 Congress changed the holiday to “Veterans Day” to include World War II. Some feel that with that act, November 11 ceased to be a day dedicated solely to the cause of world peace. In 2008, at the Veterans for Peace national convention, it was voted to return to the original name of the holiday, “Armistice Day,” in an attempt to restore the original intent.